2 Radiators in Ncase M1 - Liquid Cooling

[Stormjunky]

Hey community,
absolute beginner here who hasn't build a PC in 15 years. I'm researching parts for my build since a few weeks now.
I want to get away from console gaming (Xbox) and experience VR on a really strong machine.

My objectives are:

• Small case
• 2080 Ti should fit
• Ryzen 9 3900x should fit
• Avoiding thermo throttling as much as possible

I'll put together the following:

Case: Ncase M1 v6.1
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8Ghz
CPU Cooling: NZXT Kraken X53
RAM: G.SKILL RIPJAWS V F4-3600C18D-32GVK 32GB DDR4 3600Mhz
Motherboard: ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming or ROG Strix X570-I Gaming
Power: Corsair SF750 750W
GPU: RTX 2080Ti Hybrid Liquid cooled MSI Corsair
Storage: Crucial P1, 1 TB SSD

The liquid cooled GPU I would get second hand from someone who gets it out of a Corsair one pro i180 compact.

I'm wondering if someone ever put 2 radiators into a Ncase M1 (one on the side and a slim on the bottom). What are potential challenges (apart from the thing being a bit tight).
Will it fit?
Should I go with an air cooled card? I saw this video and he seems to struggle with heat:
Build: Follow up:

 

[rfarmer]

You can fit a bottom radiator with a slim fan as long as the GPU is only single slot, if it is dual you only have 25mm to work with. But there are tons of Ncase builds with bottom mounted radiators with GPUs using normal water blocks.

 

[Stormjunky]

The GPU with the liquid cooling on the picture above is a dual slot card. So I guess that one doesn't work then since I wouldn't be able to fit the fans under :/
I'll try to find a water cooled, single slot GPU then

 

[paulesko]

Yes, I have just that. A xspc radiator that is 20 mm thick, with two 15mm thick fans on the bottom, and also a side 30mm rad with two 25 mm thick fans. It´s tight and you will have to route things properly, think a bit before building about how everyting is going to fit, but perfectly doable.
I recommend you to look for a Iceman reservoir and pump combo specially designed for the M1 if you want to use a ddc pump, or go with the alphacool dc-lt pump (or a couple of them better).

 

[paulesko]

The GPU with the liquid cooling on the picture above is a dual slot card. So I guess that one doesn't work then since I wouldn't be able to fit the fans under :/
I'll try to find a water cooled, single slot GPU then

If you want to put a radiator down there, you have to watercool the gpu, that´s for sure. And also try to look for the xspc ultrathin radiator, because everything is so close (si little room) that fans wont breathe properly if thre is not room between them and the gpu

 

[Stormjunky]

Thanks so much for your reply! Do you have pictures of the setup somewhere? I'd be really interested in seeing that

 

[Stormjunky]

Do I need an extra reservoir? I thought that the radiator and the GPU above is a closed cycle (same with the Kraken X52)

 

[paulesko]

Ok ok, sorry didn´t understood well that part.

With that card you would need to "join" the GPU somehow to a custom look don´t you? That´s why I say about the reservoir, because I thought that in the end you wuould be doing a custom loop anyway.

I have some pics, but not of a final buld, and only some details. This pics shows the case with a lateral HWlabs GTX radiator which is thicker that a regular one, and in order to fit it, I moded a SIlverstone sfx-l 800w psu and see if I can make it work without a fan given that there is a fan on the rad near there... But there is no way I can cool that psu without further modding. Every time the system consumes more than 420 w for more that 15 minutes or so, it shuts down because the PSU is overheating. SO I have a thinner radiator coming and I will mount everything and make some pics next weekend.

On these pics you can look at hoy little room there is on the bottom od the case between the fans and the GPU taake in mind that this is a 20mm rad + 15 mm fan + 1 slot gpu.

 

[Stormjunky]

Thank you so so so much for the pictures! I was struggling to find someone that has such a build and shares images of it.

What do you think about fans on the bottom, as intake to blow air through the radiator into the case and then getting it out with an exhaust fan? basically swapping around the components.

But wow, this is all very tight. I didn't consider the PSU running hot. was thinking about a SF750 to power the system well. I wonder if my goal of having a 2080TI and a Razor 9 3900in the Ncase M1 is a bit too ambitious :/

 

[threestripevida]

Thank you so so so much for the pictures! I was struggling to find someone that has such a build and shares images of it.

What do you think about fans on the bottom, as intake to blow air through the radiator into the case and then getting it out with an exhaust fan? basically swapping around the components.

But wow, this is all very tight. I didn't consider the PSU running hot. was thinking about a SF750 to power the system well. I wonder if my goal of having a 2080TI and a Razor 9 3900in the Ncase M1 is a bit too ambitious :/

people have done those two parts in smaller builds with a single radiator. I think you’ll be fun with some planning and being careful about some of the parts you pick.

 

[Stormjunky]

That gives hope The new Ncase M1 V6.1 also has a couple of improvements to better fit a radiator in the bottom (you can even remove the bottom cover - that makes me think if that gives me enough space) and more open side panels for better thermals. I've never done any custom liquid cooling - is it as easy as connecting the rubber pipes to the different components?
It would be so great to find someone with such a build so I can look at the parts list

 

[paulesko]

I can help you choosing the parts, no problem. Just tell me one thing because I don´t understand very well.
Are you going to buy the GPU from the corsair one?
Does it come with radiator?
Are you willing to dissasemble it and make a loop or you want to fit two AIO in the case? (I assume the cpu is going to be under water also)
Do you want to use one or two radiators?

 

[Stormjunky]

The GPU from the Corsair one I *could* buy but haven't done that yet because its a double slot card and I'm not sure if it fits. It comes with a 20mm radiator attached to it and only costs 899EUR since it's used. The card together with the radiator has a height of 6cm. Adding the slim fans to it would make it 7.5cm + some space for air flow.
Now I'm trying to find a 2080Ti that better suits my build. Since others seems to have heat issues with it, I think it's better to water cool it with its own radiator connected to it. But just air cooling might work as well and seems to safe me some money. Below is the parts list that I put together

	Name	Link	Price	Amount	Total	Ordered?
CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 3900X processor	https://www.megekko.nl/product/0/261299/AMD-Ryzen-9-3900X	460 €	1	460 €	No
CPU Cooling	NZXT Kraken X53	https://www.megekko.nl/product/0/281374/NZXT-Kraken-X53	126 €	1	126 €	No
RAM	G.SKILL RIPJAWS V F4-3600C18D-32GVK 32 GB DDR4 3600 MHZ	https://www.sicomputers.nl/g-skill-...ugenmodule-32-gb-ddr4-3600-mhz-id-764151.html	158 €	1	158 €	No
Storage	Crucial P1, 1 TB SSD	https://www.alternate.nl/Crucial/P1-1-TB-SSD/html/product/1491537	115 €	1	115 €	No
Power	Corsair SF750 Platinum	https://www.sicomputers.nl/corsair-sf750-power-supply-unit-750-w-sfx-zwart-id-728086.html	150 €	1	150 €	No
Case	Ncase M1 v6.1	https://ncases.com/products/m1?variant=31591484326019	220 €	1	220 €	Yes
Fans (Bottom)	Noctua NF-A12x15 PWM	https://www.megekko.nl/product/0/38/Noctua-NF-A12x15-PWM	20 €	3	60 €	No
Motherboard	ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming	https://www.alternate.nl/html/product/1555352	250 €	1	250 €	No
Grafic	RTX 2080 Ti ???	https://www.alternate.nl/html/product/1499852	1,169 €	1	1,169 €	No
					2,708 €

I'm fine assembling things but ideally it already comes assembled - depends on how difficult it is and how much hassle I'd have with it.
The CPU will be water cooled with the Kraken X53 which comes as a closed, pre assembled loop and just needs to get screwed on.

I'll mostly play VR on it and sometimes train machine learning models and do some streaming. No Video rendering and such would be done on it.

Thanks so much for your help!!

 

[paulesko]

I´ve just measured 66mm from the bottom of the radiator to the surface of the pcb, so the Corsair one GPU is not an option in this case, it wouldnt fit.

That gigabyte windforce is agood option, because it´s 40 mm thick and you can add two 15 mm noctuas on the bottom of the case, and it would work nicely together. Some people dissasemble the plastic cover of the gpu to improve it´s cooling capabilities. It´s called deshrouding if you want to look for it.

On a side note, take in mind that on Optimumtech video, he was using the older v5.0 case, which doesn´t have holes to ventilate the GPU area. The new v6.0 imprives this, so you should have no problem in this regard.

Apart from that, I don´t see any problem with your setup.

Now I´m going to tell you a different version, a "cheapo" version. (I´m not sure if this will work)

You buy that corsair GPU, and use it´s cooler to cool your CPU, you basicaly swap it from the 2080 ti to the 3900x (I´m not sure but I believe it´s the same than a regular cpu AIO with a slim rad)

Then you put one of this to the GPU

Accelero Xtreme III | High-End VGA Cooler for AMD/NVIDIA | ARCTIC

The Accelero Xtreme III offers the best cooling solution for the fastest single GPU cards and operates in silence.

www.arctic.ac

an voila, you save money on the cpu cooler and on the GPU itself. I don´t think it will work any worse of what you are thinking to do. An also if the AIO from the 2080 ti doesn´t fit your cpu yo can always buy another AIO and you will still be saving some money.

 

[Paradyme]

Yes, I have just that. A xspc radiator that is 20 mm thick, with two 15mm thick fans on the bottom, and also a side 30mm rad with two 25 mm thick fans. It´s tight and you will have to route things properly, think a bit before building about how everyting is going to fit, but perfectly doable.
I recommend you to look for a Iceman reservoir and pump combo specially designed for the M1 if you want to use a ddc pump, or go with the alphacool dc-lt pump (or a couple of them better).

The XSPC ultra slim radiator is the best option for the bottom rad - you'll want the extra 3-4mm for airflow, even using 15mm low profile fans. And I believe EK and HeatKiller are the slimmest options for GPU waterblocks.
The side rad has a bit more room but I'd still go no more than 30mm, with 25mm fans.

 

[Stormjunky]

So that means I'd be able to use any single slot 2080Ti, disassemble the cooling and then install this radiator http://www.xs-pc.com/radiators-tx-series/tx240-ultrathin-radiator. The radiator is 20.4mm as they state in their spec sheet. The one in the picture in the original post is also 20.4mm but the card is double slot. So what I really need is a single slot 2080 TI and a water cooling kit. Any recommendations on the parts?

 

[Stormjunky]

Hah it seems like the ASrock x570 ITX/TB Motherboard is very tight and only a certain amount of coolers fit on it. I can't find information of people trying to fit the X52 Kraken on the board but I ordered both and will test it in the next days

 

[Paradyme]

Hah it seems like the ASrock x570 ITX/TB Motherboard is very tight and only a certain amount of coolers fit on it. I can't find information of people trying to fit the X52 Kraken on the board but I ordered both and will test it in the next days

For AIO, something with vertical hoses on the CPU block like the Corsair H100i v2 Extreme (or EVGA CLC) is the best fit and less risk/hassle. For full custom loop, Swiftech Apogee Drive 2

 

[Stormjunky]

I got the Kraken X52 now and it will arrive tomorrow - I'll update you here with pictures if it works out easily.

Can someone still help me find out which AIO I can use to fit into the bottom of the Ncase M1 and still fit a 2 slot 2080TI above or is that sheer impossible?

These are the specs of the case:

Graphics Card Support

Maximum length: 322mm Cards up to 280mm long (up to 290mm with front I/O ports removed): Height: up to 140mm at mid-card (130mm if over 55mm thick), 130mm at rear corner Thickness: up to 3 slots (60mm) Cards over 280mm long: Height: up to 140mm at mid-card, 130mm at rear corner, 125mm at front corner Thickness: up to 2.2 slots (45mm) Note on height limits: please allow 15-20mm for PCIe power connectors Bottom fan support 25mm thick fans: 2-slot (<42mm) cards only 15mm thick fans: up to 2.5-slot (50mm) cards GPU support bracket: 2 to 2.5 slot cards only

Now if I read that correctly, a card shorter than 280mm will allow a total of 60mm space from bottom of the case till top of the slot.
Having a 2mm radiator and a 15mm fan meansI'd only have space for a 25mm card and that would mean everything is sandwiched together. So the card in the post above would fit - but only without fans. Would it be an option to have all fans at the top of the case (CPU & extra exhaust fan) as exhaust so that air has to get pulled in from the bottom where the radiator of the GPU sits? Would I be able to cool my case that way?

 

[paulesko]

with a two slot card it is imposible to fit a radiator with fans. And if you dont put fans, it´s not worth to use a radiator, you are better served with a good cooler on the GPU.

Normally these small cases don´t allow many ways to do things, unless you are willing to spend money, time modifiying the case and a lot of try and error.